Dish-washing tray.



PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903.

D O 0 W K G A L B N DISH WASHING TRAY. APPLIOATION FILED my '1, 1902.

2 m m w a 3 @Xiliueooco UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NANCY GRAHAM BLAOKWOOD, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

DISH-WASHING TRAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 724,252, dated March 31, 1903.

Application filed May '7, 1902. Serial No 106,314. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

WOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dish-Washing Trays; and I do hereby-declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My invention relates to improvements in trays, and particularly to trays which are formed so as to hold china or other ware in proper position to be washed, the said china being so supported that water will drain from the same readily and thoroughly.

It consists of a tray formed with longitudinal or transverse wires constituting a supporting grated floor and provided with a series of transversely-arranged wires looped at intervals, so as to be capable'of propping or supporting articles to be washed in various positions, the said looped portions forming various compartments above the grated floor.

It further consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tray. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, a portion of the end wires composing the tray being partially broken away to reveal the shape of the transversely-arranged looped partitions. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one means of securing the partition-looped wires to the base and frame-wire of the tray.

The tray is preferably formed with a floor made up of an inclosing wire or bar 1, bent, preferably, to a rectangular shape, the said wire thus giving shape to the bottom of the tray. This bottom portion is also provided with longitudinally-arranged supporting and strengthening bars 2 and 3. The bar 2 is preferably arranged along the central line of the tray, and because of the curvature of plates or other dishes which it is more particularly designed to support the said bar is preferably dropped somewhat below the plane of the edge-inolosing wire 1. The ends of the wire or bar 2 may be curved upwardly and bent around the end portions of the in- Be it known that I, NANCY GRAHAM BLACK- closing wire 1, as at 4. The ends may further be'soldered in place to more securely fasten the parts. The longitudinal wires or rods 3, which. are arranged upon either side of the central wire 2, are usually arranged upon the same plane as the wire 1, but may be lifted above the same to some extent for assisting in holding the plates or other. dishes resting in the central portion of the tray from rolling in either direction. The'frame or bottom portion thus formed is supported on suitable feet or legs, and a simple and convenient manner of forming such supporting legs or feet is shown in the drawings, where will be found illustrated bent Wires 5, the apices of the angles formed by the bend resting upon a table or other support that the tray may be placed upon, while the free ends of bent wire are bent around the wire 1, as at 6 6, to securely fasten-the feet or legs in position. The feet or legs 5 are also preferably soldered to the wire frame 1 to hold them rigidly in place.

Rising from each end of the floor-frame are end frames 7, formed of an outer edge .wire 8,bent in the formof an inverted U and having its free lower ends bent around and secured. firmly to the wire 1. A series of vertical wires 9 extendfrom the horizontal top portion of each of'the wires 8 downwardly to the end portions of the wire 1. and are secured firmly to the same. Handles for lifting the tray are secured to each of the end wires 8, each handle being composed of a wire 10 and a spiral handhold 11, formed thereon.

As thus far described, the outer main portions of the tray have been set forth; but the important means of the invention for holding the dishes or other articles in position consists of a series of transverselyarranged looped wires 12, arranged a suitable distance apart, but preferably sufficiently close to hold the dishes or other articles upon the tray,jso that they will drain easily. Each of these trahsverse partitions 12 may be formed of a single piece of wire and is bent so as to provide a series of loops, as 13 and 14. The said loops are arranged so as to be in line with each other longitudinally of the frame, and the outer loops 13 may be somewhat shorter than the inner loops 14, and the inner loops 14 I place farther apart than the loops 13 and 14. Thus three or more channels are formed between the rows of loops longitudinally of the tray, and the long large dishes or similar articles may, if desired, be set longitudinally of the frame in these channel-ways. The wire forming each transverse partition 12 is bent upwardly from one end to form the first loop 13, thence passes down and around the wire 1 to a point near the longitudinal wire 3, where it is bent upwardly again to form the first loop 14. The wire thence passes downwardly beneath the wire 3 over to the opposite side of the frame and around the other wire 3, after which it is bent into the second loop 14. From the second loop 14 the wire extends beneath and around the wire 1 and upwardly again to form the second loop 13. The free ends of the wire are soldered or otherwise secured to the said wire where it passes around the frame-wire 1. Instead of simply passing the wire beneath the framewire 1 it may be given a complete turn around the same at each of the loops 13, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to more securely hold the partition-frames in position.

The end frames 7 of the tray may be braced in position by means of short brace wires or connections 15, extending from one of the vertical wires 9 to the loops 14 of the adjacent transverse looped frames.

Of course it will be understood that wherever it is desired to strengthen the frame the wires may be bent around each other instead of being merely soldered together, or other details of construction maybe varied in the production of the completed tray, all within the spirit of the invention.

In using the tray the dishes or other articles may be arranged around the same in various ways. However, a simple and convenient manner of arranging the dishes is illustrated by dotted lines in the drawings. Thus plates or large dishes can be placed upon edge between the central loops 14, while saucers and small plates or dishes can be placed between the loops 13 and 14 and cups or other articles with handles can be permitted to rest upon the bottom of the tray, their handles having been slipped over the loops 13 or 14. Thus the articles will be held in such position that the dishes can be readily washed either by lifting the tray and setting it in a receptacle filled with water or by spraying of the water upon the dishes while said tray is resting within a sink or other liquid-containing vessel.

As above intimated, the arrangement of the dishes may be varied according to the size thereof, and instead of arranging the dishes transversely of the tray some of them, especially large ones, may be arranged longitudinally of the tray in the channel-ways formed between the rows of loops 13 and 14 and 14 and 14.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A dish-tray provided with a suitable flooring, a series of projections extending upwardly from the said fioor, the said projections being alined to form transverse passages and longitudinal passages so as to receive dishes arranged in either direction, substantially as described.

2. A dish-tray provided with a supportingfloor, a series of loops projecting upwardly therefrom leaving a suitable floor-space between them, the loops being so alined as to form transverse and longitudinal dish-receiving spaces, substantially as described.

3. A dish-tray formed of a suitable base, loops projecting upwardly from the base at different points, longitudinal bars on the base for su pporting dishes between the loops, the said loops being arranged in alinement for forming both transverse and longitudinal spaces, substantially as described.

4. A dish-tray comprising a base formed with longitudinal supporting rods, transversely arranged wires or rods supported thereon, the said transverse rods or wires being extended upwardly at intervals to form independent projections, the said projections being alined to form transverse and longitudinal dish-receiving spaces, substantially as described.

5. A dish-tray, comprising a floor or base portion formed with an outside or edge frame- Wire, longitudinal wires connecting the ends thereof, one wire being arranged centrally of the frame and dropped below the said frame to accommodate the curvature of certain dishes, other wires uponthe frame preventing said dishes from rolling, and transverse partitions for holding the dishes in a vertical position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NANCY GRAHAM BLACKWOOD.

Witnesses:

JAMES T. WATSON, JOHN J. SKUsE. 

